2017 Edition TABLE of CONTENTS 2017

2017 Edition TABLE OF CONTENTS 2017 Greeting Letter From the President and From the Chair 2 Flatiron Institute Flatiron Institute Inaugural Celebration 4 Center for Computational Quantum Physics 6 Center for Computational Astrophysics: Neutron Star Mergers 8 Center for Computational Biology: Neuronal Movies 10 Center for Computational Biology: HumanBase 12 MPS Scott Aaronson: Quantum and Classical Uncertainty 14 Mathematics and Physical Sciences Sharon Glotzer: Order From Uncertainty 16 Horng-Tzer Yau: Taming Randomness 18 Life Sciences Simons Collaboration on the Origins of Life 20 Nurturing the Next Generation of Marine Microbial Ecologists 22 UNCERTAINTY BY DESIGN Global Brain Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain: Mapping Beyond Space 24 The theme of the Simons Foundation 2017 annual report SFARI The Hunt for Autism Genes is ‘uncertainty’: a concept nearly omnipresent in science 26 Simons Foundation Autism and mathematics, and in life. Embracing uncertainty, we Research Initiative SFARI Research Roundup designed the layouts of these articles using a design 28 algorithm (programmed with only a few constraints) that Sparking Autism Research randomly generated the initial layout of each page. 30 Tracking Twins You can view additional media related to these 32 stories by visiting the online version of the report Outreach and Education Science Sandbox: The Changing Face of Science Museums at simonsfoundation.org/report2017. 34 Math for America: Summer Think 36 COVER Leaders Scientific Leadership 38 This illustration is inspired by the interference pattern Simons Foundation Financials produced by the famous ‘double-slit experiment,’ which 42 provides a demonstration of the Heisenberg uncertainty Investigators principle. That principle, a hallmark of quantum physics, 44 states that there are fundamental limits to how much Supported Institutions scientists can know about the physical properties of a 59 particle. The more precisely scientists learn the momentum Advisory Boards of a particle, for instance, the less they can know about 60 the particle’s position, and vice versa. Board of Directors 63 Staff 64 LETTER FROM On September 6, 2017, in a small morning ceremony, the Simons Foundation inaugurated its new THE PRESIDENT in-house research division, the Flatiron Institute. The guest of honor, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, stirred the audience of scientists and mathematicians gathered in the institute’s lobby with the words, “I’m worried about the world that we’re leaving our kids. It’s much more complex, the problems are AND FROM much more difficult, and it’s only getting worse, and many of the solutions, I believe, are going to lie in the work that you do.” They were inspiring — and motivating — words indeed for a challenging THE CHAIR world full of uncertainty. For tens of thousands of years human civilization has endeavored to reduce uncertainty and unpredictability. The development of agriculture addressed the question of where our next meal would come from, and the taming of fire assured us we would not freeze to death during an unexpectedly cold night. As time went on, the rain god and the witch doctor gave way to the meteorologist and the M.D. In recent centuries, science has played an increasingly large role in reducing uncertainty, and, in fact, to a great extent it is uncertainty itself that has driven science forward. For the scientist, the concept of uncertainty includes the degree to which something is known. By systematically studying our natural and physical world, scientists chip away at uncertainty, replacing outmoded theories with more accurate ones. As Edwin Powell Hubble depicted this process and its concomitant mindset back in 1939, “The scientist explores the world of phenomena by successive approximations. He knows that his data are not precise and that his theories must always be tested. It is quite natural that he tends to develop healthy skepticism, suspended judgment, and disciplined imagination.” Through our funding of basic science research, the Simons Foundation supports this rigorous process of investigation, this management of uncertainty. We are interested in fundamental questions about our universe, about life on our planet and about the mysteries of our own bodies and brains. And we are always intent on deepening our knowledge of mathematics, the lingua franca of science. By funding our own in-house computational research division, the Flatiron Institute, and by awarding grants to external scientists through their institutions, we strive to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. In this 2017 annual report, you will read about the launch of the Flatiron Institute, and about the research being conducted there to better analyze neuronal activity, to predict the dynamical behavior of materials and molecules, and to analyze important astronomical events. From our grant-making division, you will read about how geoscientists are helping us to piece together the mystery of the origins of life. You will also see stories about the geolocation system of the brain, the basic science of autism, and how three Simons Investigators are grappling with the uncertainties inherent in physics and quantum computing. The vision and guidance for all of these programs comes from an outstanding leadership team of scientific directors. In a special section, they each reflect on their work and the uncertainties they manage in helping this enterprise to do all that it does. Their deep scientific knowledge and managerial experience is invaluable to the foundation. Every day, we feel eager to come to work at the foundation because it teems with intellectual activity — and we say that with certainty! We hope that as you read through this report you will enjoy the excitement of learning about the fruits of uncertainty. Marilyn Hawrys Simons, Ph.D. Jim Simons, Ph.D. President Chair FLATIRON “The scientific output of The institute began as the Simons Center for Data Analysis (SCDA), launched in 2013 under Greengard’s leadership. Flatiron is remarkable and INSTITUTE SCDA focused on analyzing the increasingly vast datasets produced by biological research. With the success of this has exceeded my most venture, its scope expanded. In 2016, SCDA transformed optimistic expectations.” into the Center for Computational Biology and became the INAUGURAL first center of a new organization: the Flatiron Institute. That same year, the Center for Computational Astrophysics launched and began modeling the cosmos and analyzing CELEBRATION astronomical datasets. The youngest center, the CCQ, began operations in September 2017. Led by Georges and co- Within a brisk five-year period, the Simons Foundation’s director Andrew Millis, the center new Flatiron Institute has grown from the germ of an idea develops new numerical and floated at a foundation scientific retreat in 2012 to a large, analytical methods to solve the bustling hub for developing computational methods. In quantum many-body problem a ceremony on September 6, 2017, Simons Foundation and uses the solutions to predict co-founders Jim and Marilyn Simons and keynote work. Although several floors of state-of-the-art workspaces the behavior of materials and speaker New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined had already emerged from behind construction walls, molecules. The Flatiron Institute Flatiron Institute and Simons Foundation leaders to remodeling continued in the rest of the building. In the will name a fourth and final center dedicate the new research division of the Simons offices, researchers have already established the institute’s — focusing on a soon-to-be-decided Foundation. The event, held in the institute’s newly reputation with innovative software releases and important discipline — in 2018. renovated lobby, celebrated early progress and hopes scientific discoveries. for the future. A unique and crucial part of “I couldn’t be happier about progress in the Flatiron the institute’s framework is The Flatiron Institute is located just across the street from Institute,” Jim Simons says. “The scientific the Scientific Computing Core, the Simons Foundation and was launched to advance output of Flatiron is remarkable and has exceeded which develops the organization’s scientific research through computational methods, my most optimistic expectations.” computing infrastructure including data analysis, modeling and simulation. At full and collaborates with Flatiron capacity, the institute will house around 250 scientists The institute’s mission is an important one for New Institute scientists to create and and programmers across four research centers and York, Cuomo said during the ceremony’s keynote address. implement new computational and Marilyn Simons, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Jim Simons cut the ribbon during the Flatiron Institute’s inauguration a computing core. “This is a unique place where top Computational science “is where we need to grow and statistical tools for use across the ceremony. Also pictured, from left to right, are center leaders Leslie Greengard, David Spergel and Antoine Georges. people sharing a common interest in the growing impact flourish,” he said. “It’s not just what New York state scientific community. Co-directed of computation on science will exchange ideas across needs, it’s what the world needs.” by Nick Carriero and Ian Fisk, the core hosts an on-site Flatiron Institute researchers don’t have to apply for grants, freeing them scientific fields,” says Antoine Georges, director of the computing cluster comprising 7,000

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